Babcock Australasia have signed a new eight year contract with the Australian Border Force (ABF) which will see them provide two H145D3s, flight crew and maintenance to patrol the Torres Strait from the ABF base on Horn Island in the Torres Strait. To support the contract Babcock will recruit 16 new staff, including pilots, surveillance crew and engineers to support the new contract with operations due to begin in September of next year.
The focus of the mission will be supporting ABF and other agencies for a range of maritime security threats including illegal fishing, illegal immigration and marine pollution. To support that role, in addition to the usual complement of mission management and detection systems the aircraft will also be fitted with long range fuel tanks enabling greater coverage of the remote region.
Commenting on the contract Babcock Australasia CEO Andrew Cridland said: “Safeguarding our borders is critical to ensuring national security. These state-of-the-art aircraft integrates best-in-class technology bringing the world’s highest surveillance capabilities to our borders. Babcock has been an integral and trusted provider to the Australian Border Force for three decades, ultimately keeping our nation safe and secure. We are very proud of our long-standing relationship with the Torres Strait community and through this new contract we will be able to extend our support even further through local engagement, upskilling and infrastructure development.”
Image: Babcock
